I don’t usually talk about “survival” during jewelry marketing training, but 2023 feels like a good year to start.
Maybe you’re not worried about your local jewelry store surviving the year, but if you’re being honest, you probably don’t have a good plan for how you will hit your numbers from the last few years, let alone do better.
COVID money is done. The market has shifted. No one wants to say the “R” word.
So let’s take a little bit of the military-style preparedness mindset and focus on what we know works. Let’s double down on the 5 things that get results today and get really good at them. This is how you’ll hit your goals for 2023.
If you’re a local jewelry store, this guide will show you how. Ready?
Step 1: Revisit Your Brand Message
One of the magical things about successful jewelers is that they’re all unique. They all have their own story to tell. They all treat customers a little differently, in their own special way.
Why, then do most jewelers have a brand message so generic you can’t tell them apart?
I believe many jewelers fall into the trap of trying to sound like everyone else, whether that’s a bigger competitor in town or the online retailers. But that’s a mistake.
Good marketing should AMPLIFY your brand story.
Stop and read that last sentence again.
Our job as marketers is to help you tell the story of your brand, share what you believe, and make sure people who share your values see that message. If your brand message has fallen flat, it’s time to start talking about what you believe as a jeweler.
Here’s a great exercise from one of my mentors, the Wizard of Ads. Roy H. Williams. He calls it “We Believe”. Enjoy!
Step 2: Show Off Your Merchandise
As a marketing agency, many jewelers ask us what kind of items they should be promoting. Some even ask us if we do photography or use stock images.
Here’s a little secret… our best clients are also our best merchandisers.
In other words, they tell us what’s flying off the shelves. Our job is to make sure people know about their merchandise.
Some of the best practices we can share with you include:
- Invest in professional photography of your merchandise.
- Don’t be afraid to introduce new trends.
- Emphasize tweaking merchandise in the store to make it “uniquely theirs” for your customers.
- Create your own branded collections.
In other words, show people things they can’t find anywhere else.
We’re not trying to tell you how to create dazzling jewelry. That’s your job. What we’re telling you here is that marketing the same jewelry that everyone else does is a mistake. Show off your expertise and craftsmanship in a visual way. You’ll see the results right away.
Need proof? Read this case study of how visual impacts of merchandising dramatically change campaign results.
Step 3: Be Super-Smart About Social Media
Every client we talk to wants to know what else they could be doing. Should they be doing stories and reels? What about TikTok or YouTube?
Here’s our controversial advice for 2023:
Focus on engaging and building your audience on Facebook and Instagram.
Don’t go overboard chasing every platform you find. The reason? Not many people will see your efforts (unless you advertise).
The sexy case studies you’ve read about social media are often about online or niche jewelers. They’re not local, brick-and-mortar stores that are running away with business thanks to social media.
We have clients with 50k social followers. And guess what, they get very little engagement unless we run ads. So keep up your profiles. Post 3-5 times a week using a scheduling tool. Learn about stories. Then move on.
There’s lots of other stuff to do in this guide, so take this one as a gift and focus your time on other things.
Step 4: Build Your Email List
Hopefully, I don’t have to tell you about the benefits of sending regular emails to your database. Our largest clients reap huge benefits from their giant, warmed up email lists, especially on Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Christmas.
Those jewelers didn’t just “luck” into large email lists. They invested significant time and effort into building their lists, so they’re ready at peak season.
Ask yourself, what are you doing to build your list? If the answer is “collecting emails from customers after a sale”, you’re missing out.
Our favorite idea for building a jewelry store email list? Run a quarterly contest! Give away a piece of merchandise you’ve been sitting on for too long. Your customers won’t know you’ve had it for a year. Make it a nice piece, valued at $1,500 or more. Create a contest. Enter to win. Promote it on social media. Run ads. You’ll sign up people left and right. Do this all year round, and you’ll add thousands of people to your email list!
Step 5: Double Down on Google, Facebook & Instagram Ads
As a digital agency, we get asked about a lot of things. YouTube ads. Snapchat ads. TikTok ads. Geofencing. OTT (Over the top video). Native ads. Banner ads. You name it. But over and over again, when we look at reports…
We find the clear winners in digital advertising for jewelry stores are Google, Facebook & Instagram.
How do we know? Conversion rates.
We consistently see the highest conversion rates from these 3 platforms, and there isn’t even a close fourth place in digital advertising.
Just as we suggested limiting your time on social media, we’re suggesting laser-targeting your ad budget to maximize opportunities on these 3 platforms.
Use Facebook & Instagram’s “Discovery Commerce” to reach people who are early in the buying process. Get them to your website. Show them your wares. Tell them your brand story.
Then, a few months later, when they Google search “engagement rings near me”, they see your ad in local search results. And when they remember the good experience they enjoyed before, they click on your ad, not someone else’s.
Facebook/Instagram ads = better Google Ads performance.
Don’t let your local TV or radio station talk you into their Geofencing, OTT, or YouTube ads. At least not until you max out your Google, Facebook & Instagram ad budget.
Get Help With Your Digital Marketing
If you’re ready to turn around the results from your marketing, get in touch with us. We specialize in helping local, independent jewelry retailers become household names in their markets.
Request a free consultation today. You’ll be happy you did.
If you’d like to learn more about High Level Thinkers, click here to find out what We Believe or email me at Andre@HighLevelThinkers.com.
